Permanency Hub MN

Kinship Parenting and Building Resilience
2024-10-10 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Conference, conference@wearefamiliesrising.org
This training acknowledges the complexities associated with Relative/Kinship caregiving through fostering and adoption. Topics will include divided loyalties, redefining roles and relationships, setting boundaries with parents and other relatives, the range of emotions caregivers can feel and how children who have experienced trauma, separation, or loss can impact a caregiver’s own well-being. Strategies for how to manage family dynamics and conflicts, identify triggers and effectively manage stress are shared.
This training is for Ampersand kinship caregivers who are completing the home study assessment process. Please consult with your permanency specialist before signing up.
All trainings are subject to change and cancellation based on need.

Children’s Home and LSS Foster Care & Adoption Orientation
2024-10-10 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-09-30 18:00 - 20:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Children’s Home and LSS welcome you to attend this free meeting to learn about fostering and adopting children from within the Minnesota foster care system. This orientation will provide an overview of the process and address details such as children served, timelines, fees (spoiler: there are practically none!), licensing requirements, and more.
Additional Information:
Along with completing this two-hour orientation, you will also need to complete Foster Care & Adoption Education Class. Many families find it helpful to attend this orientation first because it is less time-intensive and will answer many of the general questions you may have about the process.

Adult Adoptee Support Group
2024-10-10 18:00 - 19:30 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Adult Adoptees from all placing agencies are welcome to attend. While each story is unique, we recognize that there are many core similarities that adoption weaves into life experiences. Topics will be suggested, but each month the conversation will be open to relevant, participant-led, discussion. This is a safe, confidential space, the group is facilitated by adult adoptee CH/LSS staff.
Participants may have been adopted through any type of adoption (infant, international, foster care adoption) and through any agency/county. After registration, you will receive information to join the next session. This service is provided by funding made possible by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
Meeting Details
This group meets on the second Thursday of the month from 6:00-7:30 p.m. (CT). Meetings alternate between online and in-person options. There is no cost to attend. You may register to attend one, multiple, or all dates offered below.
In-person meetings will take place at our main office: 1605 Eustis Street, Saint Paul, MN 55108.
For virtual meetings, you will receive a Zoom link via email the day of the meeting.

Share and Support Group
2024-10-09 12:00 - 14:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Support Groups are an excellent tool where families are able to share experiences and encourage each other in a confidential, non-judgmental setting. Support Groups are facilitated by North Homes case managers, with years of experience in both adoption and foster care fields. It is an opportune time for families to network, problem solve and gather information on available resources and trainings.

Launching Your Teen to College
2024-10-08 19:00 - 20:30 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Join Sarah Benson, Education Specialist for Families Rising Minnesota, on October 8 at 7:00 PM for Part 1 of our 3 part webinar series designed to equip you with everything you need to know to help launch your teen to college.
In Part 1: Exploring and Applying to Colleges, we will discover tools to streamline exploring and applying to colleges that fit your teen’s future goals.
REGISTER HERE

UMOJA MN – Black Teens in Action
2024-10-08 18:30 - 20:30, 2024-10-01 18:30 - 20:30
Black Teens in Action gives Black teens a space to collectively work together in the community to strengthen their community ties. The teens will work towards building relationships within the African American community to create lifelong bonds and establish community partners.
Black Teens in Action will meet for three sessions to plan a community enrichment program, and the fourth session will be facilitating the activity that the youth and the education team created.
NEW $550 Stipend for teens who participate for the whole program.
Dates: October 1st, 8th, 15th and 19th.
Times: October 1st, 8th, and 15th 6:30-8:30 PM; October 19th 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Share and Support Group
2024-10-07 19:00 - 21:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Support Groups are an excellent tool where families are able to share experiences and encourage each other in a confidential, non-judgmental setting. Support Groups are facilitated by North Homes case managers, with years of experience in both adoption and foster care fields. It is an opportune time for families to network, problem solve, and gather information on available resources and trainings.

Caregivers Parenting Circle
2024-10-07 11:30 - 13:00
Caregivers Parenting Group is a group that brings together individuals and families caring for children through kinship or foster care placement. Borrowing from the teachings of “Gifts Of the Sacred Circle” and “Gete-Aniahinabe Miikana” (The Old One’s Road). We will embrace the traditions of preserving family and cultural ties and supporting caregivers. The group started on February 5th but runs monthly on the first Monday of the month. The next group will be on April 1st, 2024, from 11:30 to 1:00. A meal will be provided. The group will be held in person at the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, 2300 15th Ave S, MPLS, MN 55404. Please contact Sarah Carlson for questions or to register for this group at 612-438-8312 or Email: scarlson@miwrc.org

Foster Care and Adoption Education Classes – Hybrid
2024-10-07 09:00 - 16:00 | Children’s Home – St. Paul Office, 1605 Eustis Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States
This education option is the balance between the in-person and online options. It is best suited for individuals who want to move swiftly and prefer a blended learning style.
Your education will begin with an online pre-test as well as introductory and a guest speaker section of online learning. This can be completed at your convenience prior to the one required live session. The live session is a shorter, in-person day of learning. Following the in-person session, you will finish by viewing content from two more guest speakers, closing online material, and a post-test.

In-Person Kinship Support and Education Groups
2024-10-05 10:00 - 11:30 | Peace Lutheran Church, 4512 France Ave N, Robbinsdale, 55422
Our Kinship Support and Education Groups are open to all kinship caregivers- those caring for a relative’s or friend’s child. We offer both virtual and in-person group sessions. Virtual sessions occur the first and third Friday of every month, while the in-person sessions take place the first Saturday of every month.
Join us when you can for mutual support, ideas.

Virtual Kinship Support & Education Group
2024-10-04 09:30 - 11:00, 2024-09-20 09:30 - 23:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
1st & 3rd Fridays of the Month
9:30-10:45 am on Zoom
Facilitator: Janet Salo, Kinship Navigator
Providing education, information and mutual support for kinship caregivers-those caring for a relative’s or friend’s child. Thoughtful topics that help you in your role as a kinship caregiver such as child development, relationships with adult children, understanding trauma, mental health resources and more!

UMOJA MN – Cultural Responsive Parenting
2024-10-03 18:30 - 20:30 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Cultural Responsive Parenting is a class centered around the understanding of racial and cultural differences for Black children in the foster and adoptive care systems.
This class is for caregivers of Black children who are working towards gaining knowledge about the nuances of Black culture, racism and more.
Some topics that may be explored are the Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline, Hypersexuality, Driving while Black, etc.
The group will meet for six Thursday’s from 6:30-8:30 PM; October 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st and November 7th

Foster Care and Education Classes – Online
2024-10-03 12:00 - 13:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
The online track is best suited for individuals who want flexibility, have limited business hour availability, and/or those who prefer virtual learning.
Couples may complete their education together or pursue it separately. Either way, each participant must attend the entirety of their chosen track.
In this track, you will complete your education over a four-week period. In addition to pre- and post-tests to assess your learning, you will participate in a required, pre-scheduled check-in with our education facilitators each week.
This class is available in Spanish upon request.

[FosterEd] Part 2: Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health
2024-09-27 10:00 - 12:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Adolescence is a time of major transition physically, emotionally, and socially. Healthy sexuality is an important part of adolescent development, and caring adults play a key role in helping young people develop healthy routines, behaviors, and relationships that they can carry into their adult lives. During this workshop, participants will review adolescent health data trends, learn basic information about puberty and anatomy, and gain skills for answering sensitive questions regarding sexuality. Participants will also learn how experiences of trauma may impact adolescent sexual health, and how their own values impact their ability to effectively support young people during this important time in their lives. Please note this training is two days and will take place 9/20/24 and 9/27/24 at 10am to 12 pm.
Jill Farris, MPH is the Director of Adolescent Sexual Health Training and Education at the Healthy Youth Development – Prevention Research Center at the University of Minnesota. As Director of the training department, she leads capacity building initiatives to strengthen community-based adolescent sexual health programs, and has significant expertise in the essential skills needed to facilitate sexual health programming. Farris is a certified trainer on nearly two dozen evidence-based interventions to prevent teen pregnancy and HIV/STIs, and is a nationally recognized expert on program fidelity, adaptation and implementation. She leads the creation and dissemination of the annual Adolescent Sexual Health Report, as well as county health reports and data visualization fact sheets that are widely utilized by youth-serving agencies and professionals. Farris is deeply committed to addressing health disparities, and delivers content through a lens of equity, inclusion, and trauma-informed practice.
Closed Captioning will be available once the webinar begins.

Foster Care and Adoption Education Classes – In-Person
2024-09-27 09:00 - 2024-09-28 17:00 | Children’s Home – St. Paul Office, 1605 Eustis Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, United States
The in-person track is best suited for individuals who need or desire to complete their education quickly, prefer in-person learning and/or those who have previously completed education and want a refresher course.
This track will primarily take place during two live consecutive days (Friday/Saturday) with minimal use of the online learning management system which includes introductory sessions as well as a pre- and post- test.

[FosterEd] Navigating the Mental Health Crisis: Asian Adolescents and Anti-Asian Hate Crimes During the Pandemic
2024-09-26 14:00 - 15:30
Join us for an insightful webinar exploring the impact of rising anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Asian adolescents. We will begin by defining anti-Asian crimes and racial discrimination, providing a foundational understanding of these critical issues. The discussion will then delve into the unique psychological impacts of racial discrimination on adolescents’ mental health, with a focus on the specific challenges faced by Asian American youth. We will highlight protective factors and strategies to enhance support systems for these adolescents. Additionally, the webinar will feature a compelling case study to illustrate these concepts in a real-world context.
Soyoul Song is a 4th-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. She earned her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on family relationships and mental health in immigrant families, emphasizing the acculturative process (e.g., race-based discrimination), resilience, and dyadic dynamics within the family system (e.g., couples, parent-child, and siblings).
Buchanan, G. J. R., Ballard, J., Fatiha, N., Song, S.*, & Solheim, C. (2022). Resilience in the system: COVID-19 and immigrant- and refugee-serving health and human service providers. Families, Systems, & Health, 40(1), 111–119. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000662
Solheim, C., Ballard, J., Dini, Z., Fatiha, N., Buchanan, G., & Song, S.* (2022). Immigrant family financial and relationship stress from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 43, 282-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-022-09819-2.

Kinship Support for American Indian Relatives
2024-09-24 17:00 - 20:00 | Minneapolis American Indian Center, 1530 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, 55404, United States
Learn how to help!

How relatives/kin can support families involved with child protection
The process and resources available
How to be considered a placement for children

Virtual option available!
Register and find more details here:
https://kinship-support-for-AI-relatives.eventbrite.com

Reduce Screentime and Improve Sleep
2024-09-23 17:30 - 19:30 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Description: Research indicates children are getting fewer hours of sleep than they need, primarily due to their intense engagement in screen time. We will walk through a step-by-step guide to help reduce children’s screen time children without the battles you might anticipate.
You will learn:

Why good sleep habits are important.
Steps to monitor and manage children’s screen time without meltdowns.
How to engage your child in this process.
How to remain calm while doing this!

Quality and quantity of sleep can impact:

Brain development
Mood
Physical health
Immune system function
Performance

Help the children in your care get the sleep they need to thrive and grow by managing their interactions with digital devices.

Presenter: Angie Ellsworth, MS, LSW, LSC | Timeout Behavior Coaching
Angie provides in-home parent coaching to support families in meaningful and transformative ways. She and her team at Timeout Behavior Coaching support families through complex situations, including adoption, behavior challenges, child protection, foster care, mental health concerns and navigating special education.
Angie has more the 20-years of experience supporting students with academic, behavioral and mental health challenges and the adults who love, live and work with them. Angie began training parents and staff as a faculty member with the Southeast Service Cooperative.

Contact: Kris Hanson, Therapeutic Foster Care Coordinator |
Kris.Hanson@lssmn.org or 218.600.6996

Contact: Kris for accommodation requests connected to a disability. Services are intended to be inclusive and accessible.

Certificate of attendance will be provided.
This service is provided by funding made possible by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
The audience is for Minnesota residents only.

Part 2: A Brain-First Approach to Parenting
2024-09-23 13:00 - 14:30
Many children who have experienced prenatal or postnatal stressors such as trauma, alcohol, and drug exposure also have challenging behavioral symptoms, requiring support from their parents and caregivers that is often more intensive than “typical” parenting. Parents and caregivers are then required to shift their parenting from a traditional behavioral lens to one that is focused on their child’s unique neurobiology. This workshop will teach participants how parents and caregivers can set themselves up for success as it relates to the care of their child, so as to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue, so they can thrive in their parent experience, feeling more resilient over time.
Eileen Devine is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Brain First Parenting. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two teenage children, one of whom lives with FASD. She has over 20 years of clinical experience and for the last ten of those years, has focused solely on supporting parents who have kids with neurobehavioral conditions. In addition to her clinical work with parents, she facilitates dozens of workshops and trainings each year for parents, teachers, and mental health professionals and is a trainer for the Center for Adoption Support and Education’s (C.A.S.E.) accredited Training for Adoption Competency (TAC) Program, where she instructs other clinicians across the state of Oregon on what it means to be an adoption and foster competent therapist.

UMOJA MN - Coffee Connection
2024-09-21 09:00 - 11:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Coffee Connection is a virtual safe space for parents and caregivers of Black fostered and adopted youth in Minnesota to engage in meaningful conversations about topics that are relevant to their cultural and racial identities.
We want to create a safe and supportive space where parents and caregivers can share their experiences, challenges, and insights on issues such as Black culture, anti-racism, parenting of Black children, and any other topics the group wishes to explore.
Coffee Connection is open to anyone who identifies as a parent or caregiver of a Black child or youth who are adopted or fostered in Minnesota, and who is interested in learning from and connecting with others who share similar experiences.

Getting to Know the Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson
2024-09-20 10:30 - 11:30 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
The Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson (OOFY) was created in response to Fosters* expressing a need for an office to respond to their unanswered concerns. OOFY is a neutral and independent agency that helps solve problems and complaints about the care, placement, safety, and services of children and youth in foster care. We help foster youth, social workers, probation officers, resource families and advocates understand the rights of children and youth in foster care. We also help by making policy recommendations to improve the foster care system.
Join us to learn about the key priorities of OOFY, what to expect from our complaint resolution and investigative process, and how we can best partner to fulfill our legislative mandate to “promote the highest attainable standards of competence, efficiency, and justice for youth who are in the care of the state.”
We use the term Foster as described by Foster Advocates: Early leaders in our network stated foster care creates a significant cultural identity, akin to other immutable characteristics, that goes unrecognized once they are reunited with family, adopted, or age out. In response, we use the term Foster to name and claim this unique identity.
Misty Coonce (she/her) is humbled and honored to serve as Minnesota’s first Ombudsperson for Foster Youth. She is grounded in her personal experience in foster care and subsequent adoption into a non-relative family along with her older sisters. Prior to her appointment by Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan in September 2023, she worked in child welfare for 15 years, in a variety of roles within private non-profit organizations including Ampersand Families and EVOLVE Family Services. Misty earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010, and is a Licensed Independent Social Worker in the state of Minnesota. She stays busy as a parent of two children, volunteering with their school’s Parent Teacher Association, and getting out to hike and camp whenever she can. Misty appreciates the opportunity to seek and hear feedback, including complaints and ideas for solutions, regarding the experiences of Fosters within our state system. She looks forward to being a resource for, and a partner with, youth and the many other stakeholders who care deeply about the safety and well-being of Fosters, in defining solutions for improvement in foster care.

Getting to Know the Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson
2024-09-20 10:30 - 11:30
PLEASE NOTE: Effective June 1, 2024, live webinar attendees who need a certificate of attendance must register individually and watch on their own device for proper tracking. Effective August 1, 2024, live webinar attendees must be in attendance throughout the entirety of the training to receive a certificate of attendance.
The Office of the Foster Youth Ombudsperson (OOFY) was created in response to Fosters* expressing a need for an office to respond to their unanswered concerns. OOFY is a neutral and independent agency that helps solve problems and complaints about the care, placement, safety, and services of children and youth in foster care. We help foster youth, social workers, probation officers, resource families and advocates understand the rights of children and youth in foster care. We also help by making policy recommendations to improve the foster care system.
Join us to learn about the key priorities of OOFY, what to expect from our complaint resolution and investigative process, and how we can best partner to fulfill our legislative mandate to “promote the highest attainable standards of competence, efficiency, and justice for youth who are in the care of the state.”
We use the term Foster as described by Foster Advocates: Early leaders in our network stated foster care creates a significant cultural identity, akin to other immutable characteristics, that goes unrecognized once they are reunited with family, adopted, or age out. In response, we use the term Foster to name and claim this unique identity.
Misty Coonce (she/her) is humbled and honored to serve as Minnesota’s first Ombudsperson for Foster Youth. She is grounded in her personal experience in foster care and subsequent adoption into a non-relative family along with her older sisters. Prior to her appointment by Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan in September 2023, she worked in child welfare for 15 years, in a variety of roles within private non-profit organizations including Ampersand Families and EVOLVE Family Services. Misty earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010, and is a Licensed Independent Social Worker in the state of Minnesota. She stays busy as a parent of two children, volunteering with their school’s Parent Teacher Association, and getting out to hike and camp whenever she can. Misty appreciates the opportunity to seek and hear feedback, including complaints and ideas for solutions, regarding the experiences of Fosters within our state system. She looks forward to being a resource for, and a partner with, youth and the many other stakeholders who care deeply about the safety and well-being of Fosters, in defining solutions for improvement in foster care.
Closed Captioning will be available once the webinar begins.

[FosterEd] Part 1: Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health
2024-09-20 10:00 - 12:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Adolescence is a time of major transition physically, emotionally, and socially. Healthy sexuality is an important part of adolescent development, and caring adults play a key role in helping young people develop healthy routines, behaviors, and relationships that they can carry into their adult lives. During this workshop, participants will review adolescent health data trends, learn basic information about puberty and anatomy, and gain skills for answering sensitive questions regarding sexuality. Participants will also learn how experiences of trauma may impact adolescent sexual health, and how their own values impact their ability to effectively support young people during this important time in their lives. Please note this training is two days and will take place 9/20/24 and 9/27/24 at 10am to 12 pm.
Jill Farris, MPH is the Director of Adolescent Sexual Health Training and Education at the Healthy Youth Development – Prevention Research Center at the University of Minnesota. As Director of the training department, she leads capacity building initiatives to strengthen community-based adolescent sexual health programs, and has significant expertise in the essential skills needed to facilitate sexual health programming. Farris is a certified trainer on nearly two dozen evidence-based interventions to prevent teen pregnancy and HIV/STIs, and is a nationally recognized expert on program fidelity, adaptation and implementation. She leads the creation and dissemination of the annual Adolescent Sexual Health Report, as well as county health reports and data visualization fact sheets that are widely utilized by youth-serving agencies and professionals. Farris is deeply committed to addressing health disparities, and delivers content through a lens of equity, inclusion, and trauma-informed practice.

Live Webinar | Understanding the Children’s Mental Health System
2024-09-18 18:00 - 20:30 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
This 1.5-hour class gives parents and guardians a comprehensive overview of the children’s mental health system, including assessment and diagnosis, care and treatment, public health insurance options, supportive community services, and parent advocacy. We will also review parent/guardian rights in the mental health and school systems.

Webinar Details:
Wednesday, September 18
6-8:30 p.m.
Via Zoom

Presenter: Beth Lovre (she/her/hers) Family Peer Educator from NAMI Minnesota
Beth Lovre provides education and support to parents of children navigating the mental health systems to help them achieve desired goals and outcomes. She also educates teens on mental health and works with providers to offer family centered driven services. Beth holds a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies with an emphasis in Public Interest from Minnesota State University Moorhead. She shares her own lived experience with mental health challenges and her family’s mental health recovery in hopes of empowering others in their journey. She is certified as a Family Peer Specialist and a Peer specialist in Minnesota.

Search & Reunion Support Group
2024-09-18 18:00 - 20:00 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
This group is for adult adoptees and birth parents who are not related to one another and who are considering, or active in, search and reunion or have searched and the other party is not open to contact. This group is facilitated by CH/LSS staff. Members are supportive of one another and willing to share their reunion journeys with one another- including their successes, disappointments, and joys! Participants may have been adopted or placed a child through any type of adoption (infant, international, foster care adoption) and through any agency/county. This service is provided by funding made possible by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
Meeting Details
This group meets on the third Wednesday of the month from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (CT). It alternates between online and in-person meetings.
In-person meetings will take place at our main office: 1605 Eustis Street, Saint Paul, MN 55108.
For virtual meetings, you will receive a Zoom link via email the day of the meeting.

Greater Minnesota Parent Support Group
2024-09-18 18:00 - 19:30 | – Online Webinar/Training, Support Group, or Meeting, MN, United States
Open to pre-adoptive, adoptive, foster, relative and/or kinship caregivers living in Greater Minnesota (outside the Twin Cities Metro Area). This online group is facilitated by CH/LSS staff and offers connection, positive parenting strategies, support, and more! After registration, you will receive a link to join the next Zoom session. This service is provided by funding made possible by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
Meeting Details
This group meets online and takes place on the third Wednesday of the month from 6:00-7:30 p.m. (CT). There is no cost to attend. You may register to attend one, multiple, or all dates offered below.
For virtual meetings, you will receive a Zoom link via email the day of the meeting.

Preparing Your Estate: Wills, Trusts, and all that Stuff
2024-09-17 13:00 - 14:30
Discussion of important estate planning topics including probate administration, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, taxes.
Amanda R. Hespen, Attorney, JD practices in the fields of estates and trusts, probate and trust Administration, small business formation and succession planning and guardianship/conservatorship. While she attended William Mitchell College of Law, she volunteered for the Minnesota Justice Foundation and clerked for Jeffrey Scott. Amanda has a clear, straightforward, and understandable approach that clients repeatedly comment on. She oversees the postmortem administrations of trusts, and prepares interim and final accountings for conservatorships, special needs trusts, and probate estates. Amanda grew up in Rice, Minnesota on a family farm. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, spending time at the lake, reading, films, and is a fan of the Twins, Vikings, and the Wild. She resides in the Blaine area with her husband and two children.
